Monthly Archives: June 2021

Towers of Trebizond

Posted on June 25, 2021 by Joel D. Hirst

This is how Rose Macaulay described the Black Sea in her masterpiece “Towers of Trebizond”, a: “…long strange, frightening, and romantic drama for which the Black Sea and its high forested shores seemed to me to be the stage. Some … Continue reading →

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Maoism: A Global History – A Review

Posted on June 19, 2021 by Joel D. Hirst

Given the attempts at rehabilitation of Mao’s reputation being undertaken by the Xi regime of the Chinese Communist Party, it is warranted a better understanding of who Mao was and his global legacy in the second half of the 20th … Continue reading →

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The 100

Posted on June 18, 2021 by Joel D. Hirst

I rarely write reviews of television. If the makers don’t put much thought into creating it, why should I try to find meaning where there is none? I will invariably become disappointed. More so for Netflix – Obama’s pet Gramscian … Continue reading →

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Mission to Circassia

Posted on June 14, 2021 by Joel D. Hirst

Circassia is an ancient country on the Black Sea coast between Crimea and Georgia, in the heart of the Caucasus. We’ve all heard of Armenia and Georgia and Ukraine; but Circassia has been integrated into Russia following the Russian/Circassian war … Continue reading →

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Third-World-Ization

Posted on June 10, 2021 by Joel D. Hirst

I’ve been writing about the arriving ordeal for a while now; an ordeal which arrived and which announced itself via a pandemic that was first created and then mismanaged by the center – though the peripheries (as usual) will pay … Continue reading →

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The New America?

Posted on June 7, 2021 by Joel D. Hirst

“Go see the new America,” I was advised by a not-altogether-well-meaning friend. “See how America has changed.” “America has changed a lot in the last nine years,” said another friend, “and not all for the better.” And yet again, “America … Continue reading →

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It Came From a Lab…

Posted on June 6, 2021 by Joel D. Hirst

I’m not really accustomed to quick posts on current events, my writing being focused mostly on culture and politics and art and travel – civilizational writings meant to inspire wonder. However Vanity Fair just published the most extraordinary piece of … Continue reading →

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